The Subject
by EveByNight
Summary: A lab technician at a clinical research company, Bella Swan becomes entangled in a complex and potentially dangerous case that could change her life. AU/AH ExB ON HIATUS
1. Wake Up Call

The rapid click of my heels echoed through the cold concrete corridor, the sound highlighting just how empty the building was.

Though it certainly wasn't the first time I'd been called in to work at such an unreasonable hour there had been something in Aro's voice telling me that, for once, I wasn't just being asked to oversee another set of inconsistent labs. In fact he had sounded so unlike his usual calm, unhurried self that had I not checked caller ID I might not have realized who I was speaking to at all.

"_Isabella, this is extremely important, we need you in H17 within the hour. Should I ask Gianna to send a car for you?"_

I had told him no and clicked the phone shut, ignoring Jake's grunting complaints as I flicked the dim bedside lamp on and started to dress, paying little attention to the sartorial choices I was making.

Five minutes later I planted a kiss on my dozing boyfriend's forehead, promised to call him after breakfast and hurried down to the garage where I climbed in to my reliable old Volvo and reversed out on to the deserted main road.

As I neared H17 I heard the low rumble of machinery. Whatever was happening in there was happening without me. The guys knew I hated them starting important work ups in my absence, so I assumed that Aro had insisted they kick start the processing prior to my arrival.

It was something that plenty of my colleagues wouldn't have been surprised by but the mere idea set my mind whirring. While Aro was sure to be involved at every step of the way in high level cases he never got his hands dirty. Lab work was for his staff, people like me. Aro read our notes and questioned our findings but he rarely involved himself directly with processing and he certainly never dealt directly with lower level staff.

My hands were damp with nervous sweat and I wiped a palm on my trousers before pressing my thumb to the wall-mounted scanner, It flashed twice before the heavy door began to slide agonizingly slowly, eventually opening enough to allow me to slip inside.

I called out a terse hello only to be met with relative silence, the only sound the continuing chugging of the Peloris.

Frowning to myself I approached the machine, checking its complex settings. It appeared to be running a full set of stains, as expected, but a quick glance at the processing records showed that nobody had logged the run. My staff knew better than to neglect the rigorous system I had put in place and they certainly wouldn't be so foolish as to leave labs unattended, especially if they knew I was due to arrive before completion.

A brief check of the desks showed no paperwork or evidence of further tests, so instead of waiting around for something to happen I took a coffee from the vending machine outside the lab door and set off in search of somebody who could give me some answers.

I peered through a handful of windows and doors but was only greeted with eerily empty rooms, machines lined up against walls and empty beds awaiting use. Usually the rooms buzzed with activity, test subjects filled the beds and white coated doctors and technicians rushed from room to room taking notes, pressing buttons and pushing rattling trolleys filled with samples.

At the end of the corridor, set apart from the labs, test suites and observation rooms was the bank of offices where I hoped to find some sign of life.

"Bella, you're here! Why will you never let me send Felix for you?"

Straight backed and immaculately turned out, Gianna was in her usual position behind the glass reception desk in front of the three large offices belonging to the men who called the shots.

"What would be the point of living with a mechanic if I didn't at least have a reliable car?"

She smiled and shook her head. Gianna was used to my reluctance in making use of company perks.

"I'll page Aro for you hon."

She picked up the phone but I reached to touch her hand, stopping her before the receiver reached her ear.

"Where is he? I'll just run up and meet him."

"He asked for you to wait. He's over on Brandon."

"_Brandon_?"

She shrugged, offering no explanation but rising from her seat to hand me a thin yellow folder.

I recognized the papers immediately as a set of admission records and assumed that whomever the forms related to was the reason I had been called in, the reason that Aro was currently visiting on the mental health wing.

Raising the rapidly cooling latte to my lips I sipped slowly, skimming over the new subject's personal details before flipping to the next page.

The hand I held my coffee cup with froze in midair. I glanced at Gianna but she was engrossed in something on the computer screen in front of her. She definitely didn't know what these files contained.

I turned back to the sheet of paper lying in my lap and again read the subject's admission notes, trying to make sense of the lists of symptoms, medications and observations.

"Aha, Isabella," Aro's soft voice broke in to my thoughts causing me to start.

"I see you have our notes," he continued.

I stared openly, trying to read his expression but it was smooth and neutral, betraying no emotion.

"Is this some kind of joke?" I asked.

He threw a pointed look towards Gianna, "let's discuss this in my office shall we?" he asked.

Once we were safely locked away in Aro's vast and extravagant office with its expensive art and grandiose furniture I threw the file down on his over-sized mahogany desk in annoyance.

"I'm going to be honest Aro, I have no idea why I'm here."

"You read the admissions?"

"Of course I read the admissions."

He leaned back in his seat, his watery eyes trained on me.

"You don't find the subject's experience's somewhat unusual?"

I stopped pacing and folded my arms, "not especially. This certainly isn't the first delusional subject we've dealt with."

"Delusional?"

I widened my eyes in surprise, "of course."

"With no evidence of a psychotic disorder? No schizophrenia, no bipolar?"

"Aro, you know I'm not a psychiatrist. That said, my uncle's dog could tell you that the delusion is a fairly good indication of psychosis in itself."

"But if there's no psychotic disorder?"

Aro's calm demeanor was making me increasingly frustrated, I couldn't understand why he saw this subject as so worthy of our attention or why he insisted on keeping up this pretense that I was in a position to make a diagnosis.

"Drug use? Sleep deprivation? Munchhausen's? Psychosis is seen in cases of AIDs, sarcoidosis, electrolyte disorders. You know this better than I do Aro."

He only smiled.

"Gianna told me you were in Brandon."

"I was."

I finally sat down across from my employer, leaning forward on my elbows and pinching the bridge of my nose. My head was pounding and I was close to either shouting or crying, neither of which would help my career prospects.

"What would you like me to do Aro?"

He drew a long breath, observing me carefully.

"Isabella, you've been with Volterra Pharm. for how long now?"

"Seven years including training."

"Seven years and you're already running a department. You're aware that you're the youngest person in the company to have done so?"

I nodded, aware that I'd moved through the ranks quickly and though it wasn't strictly the case that I ran a department - Histology was more of a sub-department and a relatively small one at that - I knew that I was the youngest member of management by more than twenty years.

"You're the best CLS we have here, you know that. You also know that I trust you above anybody else to work on confidential and sensitive cases.

"However Isabella, before we discuss this case any further I'd like to be sure of my assumptions. Can I trust you to be absolutely discreet, even within Volterra?"

"Of course you can," my voice was higher than usual, "I've never broken your confidence before."

He smiled, "no, you haven't. And you trust me to do the right thing for my employees, clients and test subjects?"

"You've never given me any reason not to."

Although Aro and the other CEOs appeared to be primarily concerned with profit and insisted on referring to those who agreed to take part in trials and studies as 'subjects' - a habit that had rubbed off on most of their employees, myself included - none of them had given me any reason to believe that they or Volterra as a whole was unscrupulous or corrupt.

He picked up the yellow folder and handed it to me again, rising from his seat.

"In that case we'll discuss the case further on our way over to introduce you to our new resident."

It was after 4am when Aro and I left his office and started the long walk to the Brandon Unit, the secure area in which Volterra Pharmaceuticals carried out mental health research.

I rarely spent time there, having little reason to leave the confines of my own labs in the main building. Besides, Brandon made me a little uncomfortable. It was rare that we carried out long term projects there - most mental health trials were required to take place in proper health care facilities - but when we did so I preferred to keep my distance. Medical conditions I could deal with, mental disorders were beyond my scientific understanding.

There was very little lab work could tell me about depression or retardation and the lack of scientific understanding wasn't something I could easily ignore.

Not only that but it seemed to me that Brandon was the only place where the company found themselves in a moral dilemma. Could people suffering with those kinds of issues really make the decision to take part in medical research? Was it acceptable for relatives or indeed for doctors to agree to the participation of their charges? I kept myself out of it as far as I could.

"I know this is an unusual request Isabella," Aro fell back to walk alongside me as we crossed the darkened quadrangle, "but I need to ask you to keep this particular, uh project, between you and I. For now I'd rather not involve Marcus or Caius."

"Fine."

"And I realize that you're extremely efficient when it comes to record keeping but I'd like to ask that on this occasion you let your meticulousness slide. I'd rather there be was no paperwork outside this folder, which is never to be out of either my own or your possession."

Although I didn't hesitate in agreeing to comply with Aro's requests I was a little discomfited. I trusted him entirely yet couldn't help but think that somehow whatever we were involved in here couldn't possibly be above board. Otherwise why would my labs need to be off the books? And why would Aro's partners need to be kept in the dark?

"May I ask a question?"

Aro smiled his usual unfathomable smile, "of course you may, although I can't guarantee to be able to answer it."

"Does this subject relate to any particular trial?"

We had stopped outside the huge automatic door of the Brandon Unit, neither of us yet swiping the security passes that would grant us access.

"Can you think of any trial it might relate to?"

I wasn't sure whether he was being deliberately obtuse or if he hoped I might provide him with something useful in keeping this project under wraps.

"So why have we requested admission?"

"We haven't," he answered, cryptically, "let's just say I'm doing a favor for an old friend."

"Why?"

"The case doesn't interest you Isabella?"

Without waiting for an answer he turned to unlock the door, letting us both in to the deathly quiet building and leading the way to the elevator.

On exiting on the second floor Aro turned left and left again, eventually stopping at what was probably the least accessible observation room.

It was only once we were inside the dark alcove alongside the subject's room that I realized that I had been holding my breath. I let it out slowly and turned to the window that would allow us to observe the unit's one and only resident without his knowledge.

Although his back was to us and I had no way of seeing his face there was something about him, something that made my throat tighten and my eyes well with tears. I had no explanation. Have no explanation. But the mere sight of his stooped, defeated posture, the way in which one long, elegant hand raked through an unruly mass of bronze hair affected me in a way I had never been affected before.

And then, without turning, he spoke.

**A/N: This story kind of came out of the blue for me, an unexpected idea that had to be jotted down.**

**Now, I'm not usually one for holding my readers to ransom but here's the deal - this one chapter took hours of research and thought because I'm absolutely not science-minded. To carry on with it is going to take a lot of dedication on my part and I don't want to waste time I could spend elsewhere if nobody's reading. So it's up to you - if you want more review, review, review! Recc, recc, recc!**

Much love EQx


	2. The Room

**A/N: I started this story three years ago when Twilight FF was insanely popular. I don't know if it still is but after three years of illness and general craziness I suddenly had an urge to continue with The Subject after neglecting writing (my job as well as my hobby) for far, far too long. Whether or not anybody will read I don't know but it's good to be back on the keyboard :)**

"Seems a little early for visitors Aro."

I caught Aro glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, waiting for me to be amazed.

"He heard the door, obviously." I hissed.

Aro didn't reply, instead he only smiled serenely in response my scepticism, as if perhaps he found me foolish for really believing there to be a reasonable explanation for the outlandish claims this subject had made.

Staring through the one way mirror while my employer tapped something in to the computer behind me, I watched as the man remained unnaturally still, his back stiff and tense.

Aro cleared his throat and I started. I'd been so engrossed in watching this unlikely subject that I hadn't even noticed him move across the room or heard him open the door.

"Sorry," I muttered, moving away from the mirror and shaking my head, as if it might clear it a little.

I realised that I was behaving strangely even as I moved, robot-like out of the obs space. If there was one thing that I was known for here it was being on the ball. I might drop things and I might trip over rather more often than a normal person but I was reliable and efficient, calm in a crisis and never, ever vague. It was part of the reason that I had moved so quickly through the ranks at Volterra Pharm.

I couldn't say for sure why I was reacting like this. I certainly didn't know Edward Cullen and it wasn't the first time I'd had contact with a test subject.

It was something in his refusal to turn around perhaps, or maybe it was the excitement with which Aro was treating his admittance to the facility. Perhaps it was simply the fact that, considering everything I'd read in his notes, this Mr Cullen was quite patently not the man I was expecting.

Aro held open the door to the main living area, holding it back to allow me to pass through.

As I entered the room slowly the subject finally moved, his head swivelling to allow him to look in my direction.

The weak smile I gave him did little to hide my surprise. But though I may have been jolted it was quite clearly nothing compared to what Edward Cullen felt.

No sooner had he registered my presence than he was across the small room, crouching in a strangely feral, defensive pose, his eyes flickering between Aro and I. His jaw was locked and his brow crumpled in concentration as eventually his gaze focused on me. Those same bright green eyes that had caused me such shock boring in to my skull with so much intensity that I thought perhaps he was expecting me to wither up right there and then.

"Edward?" Aro asked, the softness of his voice doing nothing to conceal his concern.

"What is this?" he growled in response.

"I apologise Edward but I'm afraid I don't..."

"Her!" he didn't allow Aro to finish, "why have you brought her here?"

"Edward, please!" Aro glanced at me over his shoulder before approaching the crouched figure, "I'm quite sure I mentioned Ms Swan."

"Swan?" Mr Cullen nodded, "Isabella Swan. Your assistant."

"Not exactly, but yes, she will be assisting me in investigating your case. As you know, myself and Carlisle have agreed to keep your...uh, _skill_, between ourselves. However Isabella is far more proficient in the lab than myself. It seems sensible to have her on board."

It surprised me to hear Aro refer to a 'skill'. I had expected 'condition', or even 'problem'. But not that.

"Aro," I spoke as quietly as I could, "perhaps I should come back later. Give you a chance to discuss Mr Cullen's concerns?"

"No!" I flinched, the man's voice was loud and harsh.

"I'm sorry, I just..."

"No," he hung his head and scrubbed his fingers through his shock of coppery hair, "I'm sorry. I know I'm behaving very badly."

"How are you feeling Edward?" Aro reached out to help him up and it was only as he unfolded his limbs and stood that I registered the way he held himself, straight and tall, his posture almost arrogant.

_Not at all what I would have expected._

"I'm fine," although he spoke to Aro, his eyes never left me.

"Is now a good time to talk?"

It seemed strange that he would ask permission. Aro more usually behaved with the kind of pompous self-importance peculiar to doctors. If it was convenient for him it was expected to be convenient for you.

Edward Cullen continued staring at me for a moment before his attention snapped.

"I wonder if I could speak to Ms Swan alone? If we're going to be working together we should probably get to know each other a little. Is that alright with you Ms Swan?"

I wasn't entirely sure that I had the option to say no, although I expected to do little more that required us to spend time together other than drawing bloods and running scans. Both things I assumed Aro would insist I do, having made it quite clear that nobody else was to be involved in his new pet project. I nodded to indicate my willingness at the same time raising a questioning eyebrow in the direction of my superior.

"Well," Aro hesitated, understandably thrown by the request, but quickly recovered himself, "I have plenty to catch up on. I'll be in Dr Santiago's office should you need anything."

He slipped past, throwing me a pointed look. "I'll see you in a few moments Isabella."

The door swung closed and Edward Cullen and I were left alone, a loud silence filling the space around us. I allowed myself to watch him concentrate on a spot just above my head. There was no other words for it, this man was handsome in the extreme. In fact, no, not handsome. He was beautiful. It was the only word that fit.

His skin was deathly pale but somehow not in the least unhealthy and he had the dark rings of too many nights spent thinking under his strangely bright green eyes. I searched for imperfections as I allowed my gaze to slowly travel over his face - I supposed his brow was a little heavy and his jaw a little _too _angular for my tastes.

"What are you doing?" he suddenly snapped.

My face immediately began to burn. No matter how many years passed I had never lost the rather childish habit of blushing at the very slightest embarrassment.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I just...I mean, you're..."

"How are you doing it?"

"Doing what?" I realised then that he wasn't talking about my blatant staring.

"What are you thinking?" he folded his arms across his chest and fixed me with a cold, hard stare.

"What do you mean?" I wasn't normally so easily flustered. Though I blushed easily I rarely let anybody get the upper hand on me in this way. I felt a sort of anger rise in my chest as I realised I had lost control of the strange situation.

"For a doctor you're exceptionally stupid."

I let my jaw drop. "Excuse me? For somebody locked up in a mental facility _you're _exceptionally arrogant!"

He grinned then, sinking down into the brown leatherette armchair across from where I stood.

"As you well know this isn't a mental facility. And, for the record, I'm allowed to request my leave at any time I wish. Now, tell me what you're thinking."

This strikingly beautiful, breathtakingly arrogant man was so damn sure of himself I almost spilled every single thought that was in my head at that moment; that I'd never felt so utterly perplexed by anybody, that I'd never been so unreasonably furious with another person, that I'd never been so drawn to somebody as I was to him in that moment.

"You're the mindreader aren't you Mr Cullen? You tell me."

"Ha," he breathed, mirthlessly, "you don't believe it?"

"That you can read the minds of others? No. No, I'm afraid I don't."

As soon as I spoke the words I knew that this was probably going to be the end of my involvement with Mr Cullen and with Aro's new case. I also knew that I was putting my position at Volterra Pharm. in serious jeopardy. To say that Aro would be disappointed in me after placing such faith in my ability to behave discreetly and professionally was a severe understatement.

Earning the trust of our research subjects was second only to earning the trust of our clients. Telling Edward Cullen I didn't believe his claim that he could read minds, losing my cool with him...well, none of it equated to the kind of behaviour that would garner his trust. Nor was it the behaviour of an impartial professional.

"I wish you were right," his tone was suddenly lower, sadder and his head dropped despairingly into his hands.

"I'm sorry Mr Cullen but surely you understand how difficult this is for me to accept?"

"Of course I understand," he was angry again, his mood swings were almost impossible to keep up with, "it's no easier for me to accept it you know."

"May I?" I gestured to an uncomfortable looking metal chair positioned alongside a small writing desk. He nodded and I perched myself on it, chewing a thumbnail thoughtfully.

Neither of us spoke for a moment and I busied myself by taking in the details of the room - the barely there pattern in the wallpaper, chosen no doubt in an attempt to make the room feel more homely, a scuff mark at the foot of the door which I knew would lead to the little bedroom that each of these 'apartments' had in an attempt to convince subjects that they had more privacy than they did, the tea and coffee making facilities similar to those found in the kind of bland hotels I would stay in while visiting the important international conferences on laboratory sciences Marcus was so keen on me attending as a Volterra representative...

"Forgive me. Would you like one?"

"Pardon?"

He indicated the small kettle, "a tea? Or coffee?"

"Surely you know as well as I do? You are the one who reads minds after all."

"See Ms Swan," he smiled, rising out of his seat and flicking the switch to set the kettle to boil, "this is very frustrating for me. I can read every mind except yours."

We sat for some time, him in his armchair, his long legs stretched out in front of him, and me leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees, cradling the warm cup of tea he had made for me in both of my hands.

"I do see how hard this is to believe, I'm not that stupid" he smiled ironically, "if it wasn't happening to me I'd have the very same reaction as you."

I was beginning to understand how Aro had been so convinced by this guy. But i couldn't help but be reminded of those news stories, the ones in which everybody was surprised to find that their neighbour or colleague was a psychopath. The ones in which said psychopath was described as 'charming'. They were _always _charming.

"How does it work? Do you hear a voice in your head?"

He narrowed his eyes, "Aro already asked me all of these questions."

It seemed strange, a subject calling Aro by his given name. All Volterra employees used titles and surnames in public. Although I recalled Aro referring to the Cullen case as a favour for a friend.

"Sure, sure. Sorry."

"It's difficult. I hear somebody's voice almost exactly as I would were they speaking aloud," I chose not to point out that he was now answering the very question he had chastised me for asking, "in a way that's why I'm here. You see, I had kept the fact that I could hear things to myself for a long time..."

"How long?"

"You're not a very good listener are you? Aren't doctors supposed to be good listeners?"

I gave him a wry smile, "I'm not a doctor, I'm a CLS. A lab scientist."

"Ah. Since I was a child."

"Sorry?"

"You asked how long." He rolled his eyes, "I've heard people's thoughts for as long as I can remember. I managed to hide it though. I always knew that whatever was happening wasn't normal, I was a smart child though, I built up strategies to help me differentiate between a person's thoughts and what they were saying with their outwards voice.

"However, when I was seventeen I was involved in an accident, I was quite badly hurt."

I wanted to ask him more about the incident, about how exactly he'd been injured, but I sensed his reluctance to talk about it. So I kept quiet, sipping on my tea as he continued.

"After the accident I found it harder to cope with what I was hearing, it affected me...um, in a different way I suppose. Anyway, I started to make mistakes. I started to answer people's thoughts, or I'd ignore things that were said out loud.

"My father noticed. He's a doctor..."

A piece of the puzzle clicked into place.

"You're Carlisle Cullen's son?"

He closed his eyes and let a long breath out through his nose. I took his dismay as confirmation.

Dr. Cullen. I knew exactly who he was. There was nobody in the world of science who hadn't heard the name, who wasn't aware of his work. And there was nobody who worked here at Volterra Pharm. who wasn't acutely aware that Dr. Cullen had started his career in these same corridors, as a protege of the very same man who had left the room just a short while ago.

I was surprised that I hadn't made the connection before. Not only was Dr. Cullen a well respected doctor, a celebrated scientist and an award-winning humanitarian but his family was a regular fixture on the society pages of the godawful magazines that my best friend Rose pored over weekly.

Therefore I knew that Dr. Cullen was married to Esme Evenson, a one time movie actress who had quit Hollywood to dedicate herself to charity work, who had even spent a year of her life in New Orleans building new homes for Katrina victims. I also knew that Dr. Cullen and his wife had two children. Alice, a party girl and fashion icon dating some up and coming musician, and a son who refused to be photographed and who was kept out of the spotlight by his family.

"So, your father noticed?" I whispered, encouraging him to go on.

"He noticed but it took a long time for me to tell him everything. Nobody knew before then. I thought if I told anybody they'd lock me up and throw away the key. I mean, _I hear voices_," there was no humour in the laugh that he barked out.

"I guess I'm lucky that Dad's a doctor, when he eventually got the story out of me he didn't jump to any conclusions. He ran tests in secret, he researched all the previous cases out there, going right back to these weird stories from Medieval England."

"Have you seen a psychiatrist? I know Dr. Cullen is an excellent physician but..." I trailed off, not wishing to suggest that his father was anything less than thorough.

"Of course. But Dad's convinced that there's no psychological aspect to any of this. I can tell you that he's pretty unhappy with Aro right now for putting me in here"

"I don't think it means anything. This is just the most secure building and the least used. It makes sense for you to be here if your stay has to be a secret."

He leaned back in his chair then, contemplating me carefully. I very quickly began to squirm, feeling uncomfortable at being so closely scrutinised. Did he mean what he said about not being able to hear my thoughts? The mere idea that he could read minds scared me, despite my scepticism. What if he could hear the thoughts of others and he was lying about not being able to hear me? What if I'd left my thoughts unguarded and he was listening to my most intimate ramblings?

"You're wondering if I'm lying aren't you?"

"What?" my voice was ridiculously high pitched.

"You think I _can_ hear what you're thinking."

I gasped.

"I really can't, it was a guess."

"Great. So my mind doesn't work right?" I was only half joking.

"I hear voices in my mind and you're worried that you're the freak?"

Rather than get into a discussion about my insecurities I glanced at my watch. My colleagues would be starting to arrive before long and I needed to finish up the samples Aro had started before anybody else saw them and questioned the lack of paperwork.

"You really aren't doing something to keep me out then?" he asked and for the first time I saw a flash of worry pass across Edward Cullen's all too perfect features.

"No, I'm really not. I guess I'm just on a different frequency, sorry."

His face relaxed into a smile, "please don't apologise. The silence is very...pleasant. It isn't often I can speak to somebody without their thoughts contradicting what they're saying to me."

I made to leave and he stood too, it was a strange, antiquated thing to do. I wasn't used to gentlemanly behaviour, least of all from Jake.

"As I said, I'm only working on your case as Aro's lab tech so, at most, I'll only be seeing you to take samples and so on. You shouldn't really be disturbed by anybody but Aro."

"Oh," I could tell he was disappointed, perhaps he wanted company.

"I could come back. If you want someone to talk to...or...whatever..."

"Later today?"

_That soon? _"Sure, why not? I'll come up once I'm done in the lab this evening."

He held the door open for me as I exited his room, already planning the best way to keep his labs away from Mike and Eric. My assistants were too efficient not to notice extra samples being run on a regular basis.

"I'll see you later then Ms Swan? I'd say dinner's on me but..." he swept his arm outwards to indicate his limited resources.

I smiled, suddenly feeling at ease in front of him, "you can call me Bella if you prefer. Of course, if you'd rather keep things on a..."

"No," he interrupted, "I'd like that. Have a good day, Bella."

His voice caressing my name seemed to echo through me as I returned to my lab to try and put Edward Cullen, Aro's pet mind reader and son of one of the world's most esteemed doctors, out of my mind.


	3. Coffee and Chicken Salad

**A/N: thanks to those who have read and added this story :) EQ x**

Balancing hot coffee cups in one hand and brown paper wrapped sandwiches in the other I swiped myself into Brandon with great difficulty, not helped any by the inexplicable tremble in my hands. I didn't know if it was the secretive nature of the visit I was making to Aro's off-the-book patient or the strange effect the patient himself had on me causing my unease but whatever it was wasn't helped by the eerie silence in the darkened corridors of the building.

I followed the route I'd taken just hours before, carefully backing through swing doors until I reached Edward Cullen's room. I hesitated in the observation area, peeking through the window to see him sat at his desk, furiously scratching away at a large notebook. He, I surmised, hadn't heard me approach so I gently knocked on the door and waited.

Within seconds he had whipped the door open, a lopsided grin on his face.

"What's this?" he indicated the coffee shop haul I held awkwardly out in front of me.

"I'd no idea what you'd like or whether you'd eaten..."

He whipped the paper bags out of my hands, "nope. Carlisle - Dad - is coming in later, at best he might bring an tinfoil swan from some dinner or other."

"Well, it's not quite gourmet leftovers but there's pastrami and pickles or chicken salad in there," I hesitated, "you're not a vegetarian are you?"

"Good God no!" Edward exclaimed ripping the pastrami out of its wrapping and taking a huge bite, sighing contentedly.

I sipped my coffee as he ate, observing him from beneath lowered lashes. Even with hamster cheeks full of food and mayo at the corner of his mouth I was undeniably attracted to him, there was just something..._something_. I mentally slapped myself for even thinking about him in that way - I had a boyfriend at home, not to mention very strict clauses in my contract preventing me from pursuing any kind of relationship with a client. In fact a sandwich and coffee after hours was pushing it.

"So what were you writing?" I asked.

He swallowed a last bite and took a sip of his coffee, "nah, it's silly."

"I'm sure it's not."

He leaned over to retrieve his pad, handing it to me and shrugging dismissively. The lined paper was covered in faintly drawn musical notes, Italian words dotted throughout, marks left where things had been rubbed out and re-entered over and over again. I couldn't read music any more than I could play it.

"But you don't have anything to play it on. How do you know what you're writing?"

Edward grinned and rolled his eyes, "I can hear it of course. It's just the same as reading a different language. Composing music in my head is actually quite good for me."

"How so?"

"Imagine you could hear what people were thinking. It's a constant noise even when you're in a quiet room and I can hear things from quite a distance. Although I guess some people's inner voices are louder than others.  
"Then there's the things you don't want to hear - people's most intimate thoughts, things that they would never, ever say out loud. You'd want to block it out at least some of the time wouldn't you?"

I leant forward, resting my chin in my hand while he continued. I still found it extremely hard to believe that he could read minds. Yes, I had Aro's say so, and Edward's father was equally as unlikely to come to an outlandish conclusion without absolute evidence but a large part of me refused to believe this wasn't one huge joke.

"When I'm thinking in music it helps me to block out the chatter."

"You don't need to do that here though?"

"Not really," he lazily threw the pad back onto the desk, "it's quite..._nice _to be locked up in a mental facility."

"It's not…"

"I know, I'm kidding. But it _is _good to be away from the noise and to be able to hear my own thoughts. Do you know what's even better?"

I shook my head.

"Being able to be in somebody's company and only hear what they're saying out loud. It's never happened before."

We sat in silence for a moment while I mulled this over. Since taking a position at Volterra Pharmaceuticals I'd seen a whole lot of rare conditions - from Progeria to Paraneoplastic Pemphigus - I'd been sent abroad to assist in the study of subjects in New Guinea and Malia. I'd met a subject with Cotard Delusion; he believed he was a zombie, literally soulless. The company focused on orphan drugs and had a large medical research arm and so it wasn't unusual to be called in to observe and run tests relating to conditions even the most experienced of medical professionals have never heard of. This was something else entirely. Yet beyond all my professional curiosity the one thing that continued to bother me more than anything else was that Edward Cullen could hear everybody but me.

"Why do you think it is that you can't hear me?" I asked quietly.

"You tell me. It's never happened before. You know I could see from Aro's thoughts immediately that you didn't believe me. Do you now?"

"It's not that I didn't believe you, I mean how could I not? Aro must have seen the evidence...your father...but there's no rational explanation for it. I'm a laboratory scientist, we deal in what we can see, we find proof and causes. I know we've barely started investigating this…" I waved my hands as I tried to find the right word, "_whatever this is_. But I just can't foresee there being a medical reason for what's happening to you."

Edward laughed sardonically, "I'm an anomaly."

"You're more than an anomaly" I sighed.

"Can we talk about something else? I'm a bit sick of this subject."

I was quite glad for the suggestion. The mind-reading thing was completely out of my comfort zone.

"What would you rather talk about?"

"I don't know. You? Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"Oh good, my least favourite subject," he raised an eyebrow at me expectantly, "really, there's nothing to tell. Everybody calls me Bella, except Aro. I'm originally from a tiny town called Forks in Washington state, it's the wettest place in the continental US and probably the most boring. My Dad's a police officer, Mum's a yoga instructor and they're both kinda flaky. No brothers or sisters, their marriage didn't last that long…"

"I'm sorry."

"No need to be," I was glad that my parents had split, the alternative would've been living with two people who cared very much for one another but had nothing in common and no desire to change that situation.  
"I studied for my PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at John Hopkins and took a job here at Volterra straight from there."

He let out a low whistle, "that's pretty impressive."

"I guess. That's about it."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

The question hit me like a bolt from the blue. It was a perfectly reasonable thing to ask but it made me feel uneasy. I hesitated just a moment too long.

"I'm sorry, that's none of my business," Edward flushed red.

"No, no, it's...I mean, yes. Yes, I do have a boyfriend, his name's Jake. He's a mechanic. We live together in an apartment downtown. He wants to get married and move out to the sticks but…"

"You don't want to?"

"I don't know. I have a job here and, you know, we're on different paths and…" I stopped, clearing my throat, "you're right. This really isn't your business."

"I had a girlfriend for a little while. Tanya."

"Had?" I didn't want to be interested in his love life but I couldn't help feeling a little thrill go through me at the past tense.

"Mind-reading and dating don't really go hand in hand. When you can hear someone's thoughts, no matter how much you love them, it's difficult to avoid arguments. It can make you pretty jealous too."

"I can imagine." I knew how jealous Jake could get if he so much as saw me talk to another guy. He was fiercely overprotective of me, which was cute when we first met, I was young and naive and I loved his passion. But now it was the cause of endless arguments. He resented my career; the long hours, the traveling and the social obligations that went hand in hand with a job in the pharmaceutical industry. I resented the constant text messages and phone calls, the way he made me feel guilty if I spent time with my one and only real friend, Rose, a sometime model, most-of-the-time-waitress who was the most unlikely sidekick for a mousy scientist.

"It's a shame you're not available really," he smiled, "a girlfriend with a quiet mind is the only kind of girlfriend I'd ever be able to cope with."

My stomach knotted. It would have been an arrogant thing to have said if he didn't seem so damn sad. I mean, that my selling point would be a defunct internal voice was a little insulting.

I glanced at my watch, an overlarge leather strapped monstrosity that had belonged to my Grandfather, it showed just after 8pm. I had been at work for seventeen hours straight.

"I should...uh," I stood and began to gather up my ratty old shoulder bag.

"No, please don't go. That was a really dumb thing to say. I'm sorry." Edward had stood up and was blocking my path to the door.

"It's not that," I countered, except that was exactly what it was, "I just really need to get home, it's been a long day."

"Ok. Will you come back again?" he looked like a lost little boy as he moved to open the door for me, his shoulders sagging. The impossible, distant man of yesterday - no, this morning, had it really only been hours since we had first met? - had totally disappeared over the course of my social visit. I could now see that Edward Cullen was frustrated, unhappy and scared. And, more than anything else, lonely.

"Aro wants me to run some more tests tomorrow, we need to find time to get you into the MRI lab. That's going to be the most important part of our testing."

"Looking at my brain?"

"Yep, there are heaps of tests we can run using our imaging equipment. If there's anything to be found it's likely to be up there and, even if I say so myself, we're the most likely to find it."

Just at that moment I heard a door slam in the distance and froze, looking at Edward with concern. He wasn't supposed to be here. For that matter neither was I.

"Back inside," I hissed, pushing at his chest.

"It's Dad," Edward stated grimly tapping at his temple with one finger, "mind reader remember?" I dropped the hand which had lingered far too long on him.

"Dr Cullen?"

Edward had stiffened, his back straight and his jaw locked. Even his eyes seemed to have changed colour to a darker green. It was obvious that his father's visit wasn't particularly welcome.

The doctor, who looked far too young to be the father of adult children, or for that matter to be one of the leading Epidemiologists in the country with an alphabet of letters after his name, swooped into the room, barely making a noise.

"Edward!" he pulled his son into a somewhat surprising bear hug, Edward's indifference to his father had led me to believe they had a less than close relationship.

"Aha! Isabella Swan!" the doctor released his son and grabbed my hand, pumping it furiously up and down, "wonderful to see you again."

We'd met only once, years ago and very briefly, at an awards dinner. One at which Dr Cullen, of course, was being honoured and which Caius, keen to flaunt Volterra's latest acquisition, insisted I attend as his 'plus one'. For him to remember that short meeting with me, one in a doubtless long line of hero-worshipping mortals, was extremely flattering.

"You too Dr Cullen," I felt a blush burn my face.

"Please, please call me Carlisle. Aro speaks very highly of your work here Isabella, you've come a long way. I must admit though that I was a little apprehensive about having another person involved in Edward's case."

"I can assure you of my absolute discretion Dr Cullen, uh, Carlisle. My only job here is to assist Aro in following up on all possible leads."

"If Aro's happy, I'm happy. He taught me everything I know. Now Edward, I bought you something to eat."

Edward grinned at me while his father rooted around in a large tote bag for the promised food.

"Esme suggested, as we were at a late lunch reception that I might...ha!" he retrieved a foil package, twisted into the approximate shape of a swan.

Edward took it, thanking Carlisle and asking his thanks be passed onto Esme too.

"I was actually about to go so unless there's anything else I'll leave you to catch up…"

"Before you do Isabella," Carlisle caught my elbow and began guiding me away, "may I trouble you for a brief word?"

I glanced at Edward, who rolled his eyes, "you can speak in front of me, I'm not a child."

"Of course you aren't Edward. I merely want to catch up with Ms Swan regarding some of the medical procedures and so on, all very dull stuff...you enjoy your dinner in peace son. The potatoes are wonderful."

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Edward gave me a last sad smile before I followed his father's lead out of the room and into the dark corridors of the Brandon unit. He didn't stop until we were standing in the courtyard in front of the building. It took me a moment to realise that Carlisle was making sure to be out of earshot in both senses.

"What are your thoughts on this Isabella?" he wasted no time in getting to the point.

"I'm not a diagnostician Dr Cullen."

"Carlisle."

"Carlisle. I can only tell you what I've seen in our tests, none of which I've been personally involved in so far. I know Aro ran the basics - CBC, CMP, TFT and so on - which, as expected, returned normal results. He's asked me to take a complete set of brain scans tomorrow...although, that's not really my line of work."

"But do your instincts tell you anything about this case?"

I thought carefully, there was nothing I could conclude medically but I wasn't sure that medical opinions were what Dr Cullen was after. It felt, after just a short time in his company, that Edward and I had some sort of connection and that to say anything to his father - who he seemed so uneasy around - would be a betrayal of his confidence.

"Nothing. I'm as in the dark as you are. He seems quite content though, away from the chatter."

It was becoming cold and I was becoming increasingly aware of how late it was and how unhappy Jake was going to be with me. I could do without the argument after such a strange, tiring day.

"If you'll excuse me Dr Cullen...Carlisle, I really have to get going," I handed him a card, "if you need anything please feel free to call."

"One last thing," the doctor stared at me intently. For the first time he didn't seem like the confident, infallible doctor but like a normal human being, smaller almost, "do you think I've done the right thing in bringing Edward here?"

"I really don't know," I replied, thrown by the question. He simply nodded and turned on his heel, disappearing before I could say anything else.


	4. Relationships and Secrets

**A/N: So while working on this chapter I've gone back through and corrected some inconsistencies and mistakes which cropped up thanks to the massive hiatus! I feel happier now. So onwards...I hope you enjoy this chapter and, for once, I think Rosalie is pretty nice. I thought she deserved a break :)**

It's nice to see traffic coming my way but even better would be a review or two so if you feel the urge I'd love to hear from you! EQ x

"You don't seem your usual self, that's all," Rose pulled a chair out and slipped in to it, resting her chin in a perfectly manicured hand.

I'd left the apartment before Jake had woken and headed straight for Yorkie's, the street corner diner where Rose worked and where I was always guaranteed free coffee, which I sorely needed this morning.

"Another break already Hale?" Yorkie himself yelled from behind the counter. A portly, cheerful guy with more hair on his arms than on his head and a perpetually filthy apron, Yorkie was the perfect employer for Rose who was a terrible waitress, not to mention lazy. He seemed only to keep her around because she kept the male customers coming back for more singed toast and rubbery eggs.

"Sorry Yorkie, I'll get back to serving all these customers shall I?" she scoffed, indicating the empty booths and stools.

He flicked a dishcloth in our general direction and turned back to his model train catalogue.

"I just had a bit of a weird day yesterday," I explained, "work was pretty crazy and I had an argument with Jake."

"You mean Jake had an argument with you?" She hit the nail on the head as usual.

"Yeah, something like that."

"I just don't get why you're with him Bel, he's a dog."

"That's harsh," not that I wasn't used to her sneering indictments on my boyfriend but I did wish Rose would be a bit less vocal in her dislike of him. Likewise I wished he was more generous towards her, it'd sure make my life a hell of a lot easier.

"Really? What was it this time? Some guy said 'hi'? You didn't check in at ten minute intervals? Oh no, don't tell me, you forgot to give him an hourly update on how amazing he is!"

In an act of unusually professional diligence Rose refilled my mug with another shot of Yorkie's famously bitter coffee. At least, it was famous among the diner's handful of regulars.

"I was really late back from work. We were supposed to go for dinner."

"He was going to take you out for dinner?" She raised her eyebrows in surprise, "like _out _out?"

I was really starting to wish I hadn't mentioned it.

"To Billy's."

She roared with laughter, "a romantic evening out at eating meatloaf with his Dad? What more could a woman ask for?!"

I didn't dignify her with an answer. I knew Jake had a lot of faults, not least his short temper and overprotectiveness but he loved me and I loved him. Or at least I had loved him, back when he was fun and carefree and he supported my career. Back before I became independent and didn't need him anymore.

When we first met I was new to Baltimore. I didn't really know anyone and still found the experience of living in a city so far from home overwhelming, so meeting Jake was a blessing. At the time I drove a rusty old truck - fine in the back of beyond out on the Olympic peninsula but totally impractical for the city - and he came to my rescue on several occasions, charging me much less than I knew he was supposed to for fixing leaks and re-attaching things. Eventually the truck had to go but Jake and I carried on seeing each other, he helped me to adjust to city life and, more importantly, taught me how to use the public transport system. We'd become best friends and although I knew he wanted more I was focused on my studies and reluctant to get involved in anything that would take me away from that.

As time went on Jake and I spent more and more time together and eased into a relationship. Or, to be more accurate, we added sex to the relationship we already had. It was great for a while, we moved into a little apartment where he cooked because I couldn't and I cleaned because he wouldn't. In the mornings he drove me to the Volterra Pharm. offices where I had begun my final year of training, and he picked me up at the end of the day once he was done at his job. Graduate training completed, I went straight into a well-paid position at Volterra but as the hours got longer to allow for my continued study while fulfilling my contract Jake got more difficult to live with.

It didn't help when, four years into our relationship, he asked me to marry him. He knew that I didn't really believe in marriage - the typical product of divorced parents, I just couldn't see the point - and he said he understood why I had to say no. He seemed to take it in his stride but then he asked again and again...and again. Over the course of two years he'd asked me a total of seven times. It was as though he believed that if he asked enough times he'd trip me up or wear me down. Whatever it was that made him persist it only made me more determined that I didn't want marriage and, the more we spoke about it, more convinced that we didn't want the same future.

"I just don't understand Bella. Why are you still with him?" it was only when Rose handed me a crumpled napkin that I realised that I was crying.

"You know why, I can't just leave him after what he did for me."

"You can't just stay with somebody because you feel indebted to them. You deserve better Bella."

I scrubbed the napkin over my face, "I need to get to work."

"Come over tonight then? We can open a bottle of wine, throw scorn upon the Kardashians…"

"I can't tonight."

"Why not?"

I knew what she was getting at and she was right, I didn't want to rock the boat with Jake, "I just can't ok Rose? I'll see you later."

Yorkie lifted his head briefly and gave me a nod goodbye as I rushed out, ignoring Rose's glare burning into the back of my head.

**********************************************************************************************************

"So what is it you're looking for? A big hole?"

"More likely a secret microchip. Seriously though, nothing in particular. We just want to have a good look around. Ready?"

Edward gave me a thumbs up from the table where he lay, waiting for me turn on the MRI scanner.

I fired the machine up from my seat at the computer, watching from behind glass as the scanner began to slowly rotate around his head, roaring and screeching, taking images from every angle in brightly coloured 3D. I didn't envy Edward having his head in the noisy metal cocoon for so long but Aro was insistent that I cover every possible angle and with my limited experiences and lack of qualifications when it came to using the MRI scanner I was taking extra care to ensure everything was done so we wouldn't have to repeat the process unnecessarily.

Just as I was taking some final slices there was a rap on the door. I froze. Nobody had booked the room out - both Aro and I had made sure of that.

Unfortunately there was no possibility of ignoring the visitor who I knew could see me through the porthole window of the locked steel door so instead I held a 'just a moment' finger up without turning, hoping that whoever it might be wouldn't recognise me and would disappear. But as the machine wound down, slowing to an eventual stop the knock came again. I hit the button that would allow me to speak to Edward.

"Stay where you are, I'll be back in just a minute."

I turned to see Victoria Sutherland glaring through at me with a frown on her pale, freckled face. Damnit. She was exactly who I was expecting to and hoping not to see. As the Deputy Head of Radiography - second only to Caius who refused to relinquish the title despite having exactly nothing to do with the day-to-day running of the department - nobody knew better than she that there was no reason whatsoever for me to be in her room messing about with her equipment. Not to mention the fact that Victoria Sutherland was not, in any way shape or form, a fan of mine.

Rather than allowing her entry I unlocked the door and slipped through the narrowest crack I could, keeping a tight hold on the handle behind me.

"Hi Victoria, how can I help you?" I asked brightly.

"I was about to ask you that."

Anybody will tell you that redheads are supposed to have fiery tempers but Victoria, with her burning mass of auburn curls was the iciest person I'd had the displeasure of knowing.

"Do you need the room? I'm just done if you don't mind coming back in a moment," it was worth a try.

She leant past me to push at the door and I had a split second to make a decision on what to do - allow her through, hope she didn't ask any more questions and risk her seeing Edward and, much worse, the scans or block her and deal with the consequences of her anger.

I clicked the door shut, "I'm sorry Victoria, I'm just running a very quick errand for Aro so I'm afraid you'll have to come back in...hmm," I faked looking at my watch, "say ten minutes?"

She raised a suspicious eyebrow, "I'll be back in exactly ten minutes and in the meantime I'll be placing a call to Aro."

Victoria turned to leave, her hair swinging out behind her dramatically, "_some people _must need reminding that this is _my _department."

Before she'd even finished her sentence I was back inside the control booth of the MRI room, clicking the lock firmly into place setting everything to backup onto the hard drive Aro had provided me with.

"You can come out of there now," I announced over the microphone.

Edward wasted no time in scooching himself off of the table, ruffling his hair back into the artful mess he had arrived with.

"That wasn't the most comfortable thing ever," he complained, entering the control room and peering over my shoulder.

My breath caught at his proximity. He smelled ridiculously good and his breath on the back of my neck brought me out in goosebumps.

"So that's my brain huh?"

"Yep," I just about managed to get out in my flustered state.

He moved away and it was then that I realised I'd been holding my breath.

As the download finished I picked up a pile of print-offs and shoved them haphazardly into my bag. Crossing my fingers and hoping that the transfer had worked I wiped the data from the main computer, closed everything down and with a quick glance at the clock hurried Edward towards the exit.

"Hang on," I whispered, peeking out into the corridor. Everything was silent, "Ok, come on. Quickly."

"I feel like we shouldn't be here," Edward muttered as I hurried him away from Radiology as quickly as I could.

"We _shouldn't_," I hissed, "please hurry up."

We entered Brandon without running into anybody else and just as we arrived back at Edward's room my phone began to buzz.

"Aro, have you heard from Victoria?"

"I have. Where are you?"

"We're back in Brandon. What did you say to her?"

"I'm on my way over."

I set the phone down and pinched the bridge of my nose, a habit I'd picked up from my father - it was often employed by both of us during conversations with mom.

Edward touched my arm, "ok?"

"Aro's coming over. The woman who saw us before, Victoria, she's bad news."

"In what way?"

"I'm not sure yet. Is it ok if I make a coffee?"

He insisted I sat and turned the kettle on himself, tipping a spoonful of coffee granules into two oversized mugs. Waiting for the water to boil he leant against the narrow surface that made up his kitchenette, the sleeves of his light grey shirt were rolled to the elbow and I found my eyes drawn to his forearms, strong and sinewed but slim. Jesus, Bella. I gave myself an inner eye-roll, annoyed at myself for being so weak and pathetic, Edward Cullen was just a man. An incredibly attractive man with an inexplicable ability to read minds, but still just a man and my heart really had no right to be flip-flopping at the sight of his _arms_.

"Aro's here," Edward stated, startling me back to sensible reality and, of course, moments later I heard footsteps announcing my boss' arrival.

He was barely in the room before he started speaking.

"How much did she see Bella?"

"Should I…?" Edward nodded towards the door.

"No, you may as well be involved," Aro snapped.

It wasn't often that Aro was anything less than absolutely serene and so his agitation bothered me.

"Here's the situation," he grabbed my coffee and threw it back without a second thought. Edward nudged his own mug towards me. I could swear he was doing it...distracting me...on purpose.

"Victoria was extremely upset when she called me. Understandably so. I think I've reassured her for now but, as you may or not be aware Bella, she is very close," he gave me a meaningful look, "with Caius' son, James."

"I wasn't aware, no."

"It may not be an issue, I feel confident that I've defused the situation for the time being. However, I'm worried about something like this happening again, we can't keep Edward hidden in plain sight forever."

"I need to go home?" Edward's mouth mashed into a hard line.

"Perhaps, yes. I'm going to discuss it with Carlisle over dinner this evening. In the meantime Bella do you have the scans?"

I handed him the hard drive and the slightly crumpled print-outs which he snatched before breezing out of the room just as quickly as he had arrived.

"He wants me out of here," Edward sighed.

"I don't think that was quite what he meant," I absentmindedly leant over and gave his clenched fist a squeeze. His skin felt like ice and the shock reminded me that I was behaving inappropriately.

With eyebrows raised he scoffed at me, "mind reader Bella, remember?"

I stayed absolutely silent while Edward repeated Aro's thoughts out loud. He was worried about Edward's abilities getting back to Caius and Marcus, with Caius's love of the limelight and Marcus's passion for profit Aro felt that his secret subject would be at risk of exploitation. He was worried about the future of his beloved research centre were his partners to find out that he'd kept such a potentially valuable asset hidden from them. And, as I was already too well aware, we had broken just about a million ethical and legal codes by keeping our research off the books.

"He kept thinking about James too, the guy he mentioned? But it seemed as though he was trying to keep that thought away from me."

I didn't know a great deal about James. On the brief few occasions our paths had crossed he had seemed, predictably enough for the fruit of Caius's loins, kind of sleazy and I knew that unlike his father James was lazy, living off his Caius's fortune whilst making a half-hearted attempt at a career in motorcycle racing.

"Weird. Maybe Aro's right, maybe it'd be safer all round if you stayed at home. We could bring you in out of hours if we need to."

"I guess," his reluctance was apparent and I was again struck by his apparent dislike of his family, "I know it sounds silly but I've quite liked being here."

"Oh the novelty would soon wear off. Residential subjects quite often enjoy it at first but the cabin fever soon kicks in...and the staff constantly checking in can get pretty annoying."

"I don't think I'd mind the staff visits..." he trailed off, looking intently at me. I lowered my eyes, blushing hotly. Obviously he was just being friendly but coupled with the intensity of his stare the words sent my imagination off on a wild flight of fantasy; inappropriate, unprofessional fantasy.

"Why don't you want to go home?" My voice was just an octave too high.

"I didn't say that I didn't want to go home."

"You didn't have to," when did I get so bold? This was the point at which I should've excused myself and gone back to my day job. But here I was with a sudden obsessive need to know every detail of a man I'd known for barely twenty four hours.

"It's not very easy living with Dad and Esme. Dad treats me like a science experiment and she thinks I'm one of her charity cases. Plus my sister and her boyfriend are here right now. He's great but she's…" he searched for the right word, "tricky."

"Is there somewhere else you can go?"

"I could find my own place but that'll take time. I don't think Dad would like it much either."

"He's worried about you, I could tell."

"I know. That's why he asked for Aro's help, he wants to find some way to keep this from happening, he's only too aware of how hard it can be for me. He tries to keep his mind on other things but he just can't do it all the time and when he does think about what's going on with me I can get pretty infuriated. I guess it's as difficult for him to be around me as it is for me to be there."

I wracked my brains for a solution but nothing was forthcoming, "are there friends you could stay with? At least for now."

"I guess there's my best friend. He's a great guy but…"

I stopped him with another electrocuting touch to his hand, "will it do for now? Would he be ok with you staying?"

"He'd think it was a great idea but I don't know how long I could cope with his thoughts for."

"Call him. We can think of another solution if we need to but right now I think we need to get you out of here sooner rather than later."

He gave me a questioning look.

"Look Edward, I don't know what it is but I just feel like something bad could happen if we don't do something. If Aro's as worried as you say his then I really think we should be too."

He made the call.


End file.
